Transaction system and methodology with inter-party communications capability

ABSTRACT

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, although not necessarily limited thereto, the system of the present invention may function in the context of an internet based commercial real estate brokering system. In such a system, potential buyers, sellers, lessors and lessees list and respond to offerings having characteristics as described in connection with the listings. For example, a potential landlord may, through interaction with the system of the present invention, list one or more buildings for lease. Communication and interaction may occur on an anonymous basis such that the potential landlord is unaware of the actual identity of the prospective tenant and vice versa until such time as one or the other or both decide to reveal their identity. It is also possible to avoid the need to reveal any contact information associated with either party (including, for example, email addresses, phone numbers, addresses, etc.) until such time as a party wishes to disclose such information. Another aspect of the system of the present invention provides users of the transaction system as well as the operator thereof with the. ability to conveniently and accurately track orders and renewals of listings. All that is necessary from the advertiser&#39;s point of view is to select and activate the “reply” button on, for example, the advertiser&#39;s email application screen. Once this is done, a reply email is sent to and received by the system of the present invention and, based upon the specific “reply to address”, the system processes the reply and carries out the automated billing process.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to processing transactions onthe Internet and more particularly to systems and methods forefficiently and optimally processing and administering transactionsbetween parties including interactions with brokers, agents, and thoseparties that offer advertising services.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The amount of commerce being conducted on the Internet is exploding.Both business to business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C)transactions are more popular than ever in large part due to theconveniences and benefits available through the use of the Internet toprocess transactions. Advertising is one service that is particularlywell suited for the Internet. There are a multitude of companies thatoffer advertising through websites, bulletin boards, email and othertechnologies associated with the Internet.

There are various business processes associated with the operation andmaintenance of an advertising service on the Internet. For example, anoperator of such a service must make its service availability known topotential customers. This can be done through traditional advertising,web-based advertising, partnerships, co-branding relationships and otherways. In addition, once a large number of listings are obtained, theoperator must be in a position to bill for the listings preferably on anautomated basis. It is desirable for the billing function to include away to collect, monitor and credit payments made on account.

In many cases, it is also desirable for a service operator to providefor automatic renewals of advertising services. Automatic renewalsprovide a way for the operator to achieve incremental revenue fromentities and/or individuals that have shown a propensity to takeadvantage of the advertising services offered by the operator. Inaddition to advertising, the operator may want to make available otherservices and/or product offerings which may or may not be related to thecontext of the advertising. Since demographic information concerningadvertisers and possibly potential respondents is often captured by theoperator, targeted offerings may be made available and are oftensuccessful.

There exist techniques for automatically renewing advertisements andmaking offers available through the Internet. One typical scenarioinvolves an advertiser or other user navigating to the operator'swebsite and providing information which usually includes an emailaddress. Once the user signs up for an advertisement or other service,renewal may be accomplished and offerings may be made via the generation(either manually or automatically) of an email which is sent to aspecified email address. Typically, the email message contains a“subject line” which contains information specific to the offer or, inthe case of the renewal of advertising, the advertiser's advertisement.Often times, this subject line is composed of a cryptic string ofnumbers and letters which are coded to reflect the offer oradvertisement. The email may also contain a message to the user askingwhether he or she is interested in renewing the advertisement oraccepting a particular offer. If the user is interested, he or she isinstructed to reply to the message by selecting the “reply to” button ontheir internet browser application. By doing so, the user is causing anemail with the pre-designated subject line to be sent to a particularemail address which is typically controlled by the operator. In mostcases capability is provided such that upon receipt of this reply emailby the operator, a software application or similar functionality canprocess the renewal or offer acceptance automatically.

Unfortunately, this procedure suffers from some drawbacks. First, sincethe subject line is accessible to and may be manipulated by the user,there is the potential for the user to either accidentally orintentionally manipulate the response so as to create an error. Forexample, if the user were to change a digit in a string of characters,it could cause a processing error when received by the service providerand this, in turn could result in a lost sale, customer dissatisfactionand/or a dispute. A second consequence resulting from the accessibilityof the subject line is the possibility for a security breach. If a usercan figure out the “code”, it is possible that the user couldintentionally cause processing errors in order to defraud the systemand/or cause it to crash. In addition, some email application programs(e.g. Eudora and Microsoft Outlook) may be configured to automaticallymodify a subject line in connection with a reply email. By way ofexample, these applications may automatically modify the subject linewhen a reply is made by inserting a character string such as “re:”followed by the original subject line. As mentioned above, such amodification can present problems in connection with prior art systemsthat rely on the string contained in the subject line.

Another drawback of the prior art systems and methodologies is thatthere exist significant problems in the case where a user may maintainmore than one email account. In such a case, when an email isautomatically generated and sent to a user, the user's origination “fromaddress” may not be recognized (and thus the transaction will not beproperly processed) if the user replies from an email account which isnot the same as the one initially specified in the registration process.

Another specific benefit of advertising (or in any proposed businesstransaction) in the Internet context which may be made available tousers is the ability for each of the parties to a potential transactionto communicate with each other regarding the potential transaction. Forexample, an advertiser may list a certain office space for rent throughan Internet service. Once posted, one or more individuals may view theadvertisement and some or all of those viewing the advertisement may beinterested in exploring further. By way of example, a potential renterviewing a rental listing may obtain the landlord's email address fromthe listing, send the landlord an email including questions about theproperty and await a response. Following that, the landlord may or maynot respond to the interested party by sending a reply email.

In some situations, this procedure does not present problems. However,there are certain situations where advertisers and/or those respondingto listing may wish to preserve their confidentiality. For example, anemployer may wish to list a new position as a “blind” listing such thatnobody knows who the company is and/or what the position is until suchtime as the employer wishes to disclose such information. Further, apotential employee may wish to maintain the confidentiality of his orher identity until such time as he or she wishes to disclose suchinformation. This is often not possible or is very difficult once emailaddresses are disclosed.

Thus, while internet based advertising and other web sites have come along way towards user convenience and usability, some aspects of therelated transactions still suffer from various problems including thoserelated to security, confidentiality and convenience.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome thedisadvantages and drawbacks of prior art systems and methods.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a system andmethodology which permits advertising service providers as well as otherservice providers to efficiently and accurately bill their customers andtrack advertising orders and renewals.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a systemand methodology which permits advertisers to conveniently order andrenew advertising services.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system andmethodology which permits parties to a potential transaction to interactwith each other in connection with and prior to consummating a proposedtransaction.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide asystem and methodology which permits such interaction to occur on ananonymous basis up until the time that one or more parties wishes todisclose its own identity.

It is a yet further object of the present invention to permit parties toa potential transaction to communicate with one another withoutsubjecting themselves to unwanted email communications or othersolicitations.

The above and other objects are achieved through the novel transactionmanagement system of the present invention. In a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention, although not necessarily limited thereto, thesystem of the present invention may function in the context of aninternet based commercial real estate advertising system. In such asystem, potential buyers, sellers, lessors and lessees list and respondto offerings having characteristics as described in connection with thelistings. For example, a potential landlord may, through interactionwith the system of the present invention, list one or more buildings forlease. Particular characteristics of the property may be provided inconnection with the listing including, for example, location, squarefootage, applicable zoning restrictions, build-out possibilities andmore. Potential tenants may peruse the listings via the system of theinvention and interact with the potential landlord through electronicmail.

This communication and interaction may occur on an anonymous basis suchthat the potential landlord is unaware of the actual identity of theprospective tenant and vice versa until such time as one or the other orboth decide to reveal their identity. According to the teachings of thepresent invention, in addition to maintaining the confidentiality of theidentity of the potential parties, it is also possible to avoid the needto reveal any contact information associated with either party(including, for example, email addresses, phone numbers, addresses,etc.) until such time as a party wishes to disclose such information.

Another aspect of the system of the present invention provides users ofthe transaction system as well as the operator thereof with the abilityto conveniently and accurately track orders and renewals of listings.According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when anadvertiser wishes to initiate or renew an advertisement, the system ofpresent invention provide various payment options. One possible optionthe advertiser may select is for billing to occur an automated emailprocess involving, for example, a credit card charge. In such a case,when payment becomes due either at the initiation or renewal of anadvertisement, the advertiser may be notified by an automaticallygenerated email with a specifically generated “reply-to address” Allthat is necessary from the advertiser's point of view at this point tois select and activate the “reply” button on, for example, theadvertiser's email application screen. Once this is done, a reply emailis sent to and received by the system of the present invention and,based upon the specific “reply to address”, the system processes thereply and carries out the automated billing process.

As will be described in greater detail below, the novel features of thepresent invention are not by any means limited to transactions occurringin commercial real estate context or even with respect to real estategenerally. By way of example only, the benefits of the present inventionparticularly with respect to anonymity and automated billing can offergreat value in many other contexts and industries including, job searchsites, dating/relationship sites, sites permitting or facilitatingexchanges of materials or services, sites offering postings andresponses to RFP's and the like, sites providing collective procurement,or any other environment where internet based transactions may occur. Inaddition, the teachings of the present invention may be beneficiallyapplied in the context of repetitive billing such as when a utilitybills customers on a monthly basis. While the present invention will bedescribed in the context of an internet based commercial real estatelisting service, those of skill in the art will recognize that theteachings of the present invention have applicability across a greatmany industries and with respect to a great many transactions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a screen shot illustrating an exemplary property listing thatmay be constructed, viewed and processed according to the teachings ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a screen shot illustrating an exemplary form which permits auser to initiate one or more property listings according to a preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the automated payment processingmethodology according to a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary email message which may be generated by thesystem of the present invention in connection with the automatedprocessing of a billing transaction.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary screen shot illustrating the composition of amessage in connection with the anonymous communication feature of thepresent invention.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary screen shot illustrating a desktop for viewingand administering messages in connection with the anonymouscommunication feature of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary screen shot illustrating the viewing of one ormore messages in connection with the anonymous communication feature ofthe present invention.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary screen shot illustrating the viewing of a messageand the input of a reply message in connection with the anonymouscommunication feature of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is preferably practiced in an Internet environmentsuch that an operator of the system (“System”) may, in a preferredembodiment, maintain software which implements the processes of thepresent invention on one or more server computers. As mentioned above,the description provided herein is specific to an embodiment wherecommercial real estate is listed, rented and sold. However, theteachings of the present invention are not limited thereto. In thecommercial real estate embodiment, various users including potentiallandlords, tenants, sellers and buyers may list, view and communicatewith respect to properties listed on the system. In a preferredembodiment, each of these users interacts with the system via theInternet as is known in the art. As such, these users may access thesystem and the particular applications provided thereby via a browserrunning on a user's personal computer or other access device. Otherpossibilities for connectivity are also possible. For example access maybe via a private communications network, intranet, direct dial up accessor any other communications medium and/or protocol now existing ordeveloped in the future,

FIG. 1 is a screen shot showing an example of a commercial real estatelisting which has been entered into the system. In this case, the userviewing the listing is “Tony” as reflected by user welcome indicator 10.The particular property being viewed is located at 10915 Thanlet Lane inReston, Va. This is reflected by property address indicator 20. Thedisplay screen may also include advertisements 30 and one or moretoolbars 40. Capability for displaying the location of the property on amap may also be provided through the use of Map button 50. Variousproperty information may be displayed in property information window 60.For example, in FIG. 1, the owner's initials are specified as is theland area, year built, floor area, etc. Available space window 70provides information on the particular floors and locations availablefor rent within the building. Finally, button 80 provides a mechanism bywhich a user (in this case, the potential lessee) can communicate withthe lister and button 90 provides a mechanism by which a user may emailthe subject listing to another party that may be interested.

FIG. 2 is a screen shot of an exemplary form whereby a lister mayinitiate one or more listings. In this example, Kristine (as identifiedby the welcome notation 200) is an advertiser who is preparing toinitiate a number of listings 210 with the commercial real estateservice available through the system of the present invention. For eachlisting 210, a start date for the listing 230 may be selected as may thenumber of months for which the listing will run 240. In the example, the“10914 Thanlet Lane” listing will start to run on Mar. 14, 2000 and willrun for six months at a pre-negotiated price. The cost per month field250 may reflect a specific price or a “pre-negotiated” price which isnot displayed. By checking the “Pay” box 220, Kristine is specifyingthat she wishes to initiate and pay for one or more listings. In theFIG. 1 example, since she has checked the “pay” box for 10914 ThanletLane, she will be initiating the listing and initial payment associatedwith this particular property. It is possible to process this singlelisting or multiple listings at one time according to the teachings ofthe present invention.

Since many listings may need to run for a term which is longer than theinitial term, it is often desirable to provide a mechanism foradvertisers to renew listings automatically. According to the novelteachings of the present invention, advertisers may be notified byautomatically generated electronic mail at predetermined times (e.g.some number of days prior to expiration of the previous listing period)that it is time to renew. Further, the advertiser may renew the listingsaccording to the novel teachings of the present invention simply byactivating the “reply” button on the advertiser's browser or via asimilar application. In a preferred embodiment, it is not necessary atthe time of renewal for the advertiser to do anything other thanactivate this button to generate a return email. For example, it is notnecessary to specify a reply address, to provide credit card or otherpayment information, to modify the subject line or to type in any textor instructions or make any selections.

During the above registration process, the advertiser is preferablyprompted to input various data and make various selections. Inparticular, the advertiser is asked to input billing information such asa credit card number and expiration date so that the user may be billedautomatically as discussed below. The advertiser may also be required orgiven the opportunity to specify other preferences such as the time atwhich he or she would like to be notified that renewal is due and whichoffers would be of particular interest.

The payment processing methodology of the present invention in apreferred embodiment thereof is reflected in FIG. 3 which is a flowchartillustrating the steps for processing a payment. The process begins atstep 310. Next, at step 320, the System selects an offer to make withrespect to the particular advertiser. Preferably, the System contains orhas access to a database which contains each of the listings currentlymaintained by the System as well as the expiration date of each. TheSystem may be configured on a global basis, with respect to particularclasses of advertisements or on an individual basis as to the time atwhich an offer is selected and an email is automatically generated forrenewal purposes. By way of example, the System may be configured suchthat for all advertisements, an offer of renewal is selected and aresulting email is transmitted ten days prior to expiration of theprevious term. As an alternative example, advertisers may themselvesspecify when they desire to be notified and offered an opportunity torenew. Additionally, offer selection as far as the specifics of theoffer may be influenced by various factors such as the advertiser'svolume of ads and the particular types of ads placed by each individualadvertiser. An unlimited number of other offers are also possible inconnection with this feature.

Administrators and/or other users of the System (from the serviceprovider point of view) may design and enter various offerings which maybe made in connection with renewals. There will preferably be a greatdeal of flexibility available so as to accommodate various marketingstrategies. For example, the System may be configured such that itperiodically generates offers which provide a discount for an earlyreply. In this case, if the advertiser replies within, for example, 5days of receipt of the email, they may receive a discount of, forexample, ten percent, The time of response may be compared against thedeadline for the discount during the payment processing phase.

Following step 320, at step 330, the System of the present inventionselects the content to be associated with the particular email messagefor transmission. The selected content is highly dependent upon theparticular offer selected. In a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, there exists a library of email messages that may be sent tousers in connection with billing and other processes. The particularcontent selected may also be dependent upon the desired transaction, theselections and preferences designated by the advertiser at the time ofregistration, the status of the user, the user's email address as wellas any combination of these factors and others. The email message mayalso be set up to be a generic message which may be customized in one ormore “fields” so as to reflect the user and/or characteristics of theparticular transaction.

An example of an email message that may be generated by the System ofthe present invention is provided as FIG. 4. This email message isgenerated automatically by the System in response to a triggering eventsuch as renewal for a listing coming due within a pre-specified numberof days. In FIG. 4, “From Address” 410 (r1234567r@findAspace.net)reflects a custom generated email address which will be the targetaddress for receipt of a reply when the user selects “reply to” on hisbrowser or through a similar application. This will be discussed ingreater detail below.

“Sent Data” 420 may provide the time and/or date that the message wasgenerated and/or transmitted by the system to the user. The informationin field 440 is indicative of an identifier assigned to the particularlisting. The email address may also contain custom generated content toremind the user of the data associated with the listing. In this case,such information may include the address of the listing (12 Pine Street)and the amount of time left prior to expiration of the listing. The datain field 450 may be included to provide the user with specificinformation about the exposure that the listing has received or anyother data which may be available on the system and which may bepresented to the user to potentially aid him or encourage him to renewthe listing. Field 460 provides a prompt for the user to simply use the“reply to” function on his browser in order to renew the listing withoutany further action on his part.

Returning now to the overall process presented in the flowchart of FIG.3, in step 330, the content of the transmitted email message has beenselected and customized for the particular transaction. In thisparticular case (as reflected by FIG. 4), a “standard” renewal templatehas been selected from the library and customized with the propertyaddress, the listing number, the time until expiration and specificexposure data. As an alternative example, if the application had been anemployment site with job listings, an employer might receive, forexample, an email identifying the job order, the time until expiration,various exposure data, renewal terms and directions to renew accordingto the teachings of the present invention.

Now, at step 340, the system generates a specific reply email addresswhich will receive the reply email if the user activates his or her“reply” button. In the case of FIG. 4, the email addressr1234567r@findAspace.net has been generated, inserted into the emailtemplate and recorded in the appropriate system database. The updatingof the database is reflected by step 350 in FIG. 3. In one preferredembodiment, the system may store each of the generated email addressesand for each of these, the associated data that is necessary toautomatically process the renewal and/or initiation. For example, thedatabase may link the email address to the date sent, the “to” emailaddress, the advertiser's name and contact information, the listingnumber, the time until expiration, exposure data, advertising costs anddurations and other information that is helpful or desirable for usewith the automated renewal or initiation of the listings. If time toexpiration is stored, for example, additional follow-up emails may besent to the advertiser with new, unique “reply to” email addresses. Inthis way it is possible to control and implement various marketingprograms and related specials in connection with the acquisition andretention of those entities which use or may use the service provided bythe System. Once the database has been updated in step 350, it ispossible for the System to transmit the customized (or a generic) emailto the advertiser in step 360. The message can be sent in either or bothof two ways. It is possible for a normal email message to be transmittedto the advertiser at the email address that the advertiser may haveprovided during the registration process or at some other time.Alternatively or in addition, an “email” may be accomplished bysignaling the advertiser that a message is available to him or her onthe service website. Thus, in the latter case, when the advertiser logson to the service, he may be notified that a new message is availableand it is not necessary to transmit an actual email. The advertiser canthan access the message through the website and continue processing asdescribed below.

After the advertiser receives the email he or she may choose to selectthe “reply to” function in his or her browser and cause an email to bereturned (step 370) to a custom email address. If such a reply isreceived, in step 380, the System will cause the aforementioned databaseto be queried (step 380) so as to retrieve the information which isassociated with the “reply-to” email address. For example, in the caseof the FIG. 4 email, the query step may result in the payment processingapplication being provided with data such as the listing number, whatthe renewal rate is, how long until expiration of the current listingand the address of the property.

At this point, the payment may be processed at step 390. Paymentprocessing may occur as is known in the art. For example, credit cardinformation for the advertiser may be pre-stored or acquired during therenewal or initiation process and the advertiser's credit card may beautomatically charged upon renewal or initiation. Payment processingstep further preferably includes communication of the renewal orinitiation to the application which manages and displays the listingsappearing on the System. At step 395, the user may optionally beprovided with notification (through email or otherwise) by the Systemthat the subject listing has been successfully renewed or initiated andthat the advertiser's credit card has been charged or the advertiser hasotherwise been billed. The process then ends at step 399.

The System of the present invention also provides a feature wherebyparties to a potential transaction may communicate with one another onan anonymous basis until such time as either or both of the parties wishto reveal their identity. For example, in the context of anadvertisement offering a commercial property for rent, the landlord maywish his identity to remain confidential not only with respect to whatappears in the listing but also for some time after a potential rentercontacts the landlord to indicate interest. Confidentiality may bedesirable for various reasons including the avoidance of providingcontact information so as to avoid unwanted solicitations and/orcommunications. The System of the present invention provides all partiesto maintain their identity in confidence while still allowing them tohave unrestricted communication with each other.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a screen presentation that may be used by apotential tenant in order to respond to a real estate listing postedthrough a commercial real estate advertising service available throughthe System. In the example to be discussed, Tony is a potential tenantwho has noticed a listing of interest on the System and he has decidedto respond to his potential landlord, Kristine, who is an advertiserthat has placed an advertisement through the service. Although thefollowing discussion assumes a commercial real estate context forexemplary purposes, it will be readily understood by one of skill in theart that the teachings disclosed herein have application to a largenumber of environments and applications especially with respect to thosemade available through the Internet where communication between partiesis either necessary or desirable.

Returning to the example, in FIG. 5, Tony has seen the advertisementplaced by Kristine for 10915 Thanlet Lane and has decided to respond. Byclicking on a button or hyperlink associated with the listing, Tony cannavigate to a screen such as the one illustrated in FIG. 5. In thiscase, Tony types in message text 510 as is shown and may click on “SendMessage” button 520 in order to transmit the message. As will bediscussed, the message ultimately makes its way to Kristine but notdirectly. Therefore, unless Tony identifies himself in the body of thetext, Kristine will receive Tony's message but she will not be madeaware of Tony's identity until he wishes to reveal it. It is alsopossible for Kristine to initiate her listing as a “blind” listing andperhaps not even include her name Kristine.

FIG. 6 is an example of a desktop presentation that may be madeavailable to advertisers and/or potential respondents in connection witha preferred embodiment of the present invention. Of course, variousother layouts and information may be added, deleted or substitutedwithin the desktop while still remaining within the scope and spirit ofthe invention. In the “My Listings” portion 610 of the desktop,Kristine's listings are displayed. She can view additional listings byclicking on “Next 5” button 620. Particular listings that are still inthe database but have been taken off the market but otherwise remainactive may be crossed through as is shown in the Figure. For 10914Thanlet Lane, message indicator 630 illustrates that there is onereceived message in connection with this listing. This represents themessage that Tony sent to her.

Kristine may click on message indicator hyperlink 630 at the time shewishes to view the received messages. A user presentation such as isillustrated in FIG. 7 may be displayed. According to this format,Kristine may review all messages associated with the listing in asummary format or she may expand some or all of the messages by clickingon the hyperlink associated with that message. If Kristine desires torespond, she may click on the listing and a screen such as thatillustrated by FIG. 8 may appear. At that point, Kristine can type inher reply message and send it back to Tony via the System of the presentinvention. Communication in this fashion may continue for as long asTony and Kristine desire to correspond. Each can become aware of theother's identity only at the point that the other desires to reveal hisor her identity.

The System of the present invention preferably accomplishes theanonymous communication function as follows. When an advertiserregisters with the service, he or she is asked to specify his or heremail for the purposes of receiving replies to listings. That emailaddress is mapped to a system reply to address, the latter being thedestination address for replies by those viewing the advertisements. Adatabase with the mapping scheme is preferably maintained within theSystem. In this fashion, when a respondent replies to a listing byselecting the “Reply to” button on the listing, the database is updatedand an email may be generated and sent to the System at a system addresswhich maps to the advertiser. The System may then automatically forwardthe email to the advertiser at his or her designated address by queryingthe mapping database in order to determine the specified address.Communication back from the advertiser to the respondent may also beprocessed in a similar fashion to maintain identity in confidence bymapping the destination address of the respondent to a system address atthe time that the respondent replies to the listing. According to theteachings of the present invention, each of the advertiser and therespondent can view the communications transmitted back and forththrough the website. In addition, email transmissions may be initiatedto automatically forward the received messages to the intendedrecipients at their designated email addresses.

As has been noted, the teachings of the present invention includingthose with respect to anonymous communication may be practiced in manyenvironments other than just a commercial real estate advertisingservice. For example, potential dates may be arranged in confidencethrough an online dating service. As another example, buyers and sellersof goods and services can communicate online without revealing theiridentities until the transaction is consummated:

While various preferred embodiments of the present invention have beenillustrated and described, it will be apparent that variousmodifications and alterations may be made thereto without departing fromthe spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:
 1. A method for processing a purchase transaction over anetwork comprising the steps of: receiving at a server first userinformation from a first user, where the first user informationcomprises the identity of the user; receiving at the server a pluralityof transaction descriptions, where: a) at least one of the plurality oftransaction descriptions is received from a first user at a work stationremote from the server; b) each of the plurality of transactiondescriptions is an offer for sale of at least one of a good and aservice; c) each of the plurality of transaction descriptions compriseidentification indicia, price indicia and location indicia; and d) eachof the plurality of transaction descriptions is associated with thefirst user and the first user information; generating at the server aunique email address for each of the plurality of transactiondescriptions, where email transmissions sent to the unique email addressare accessible by the first user; generating at the server a transactiondescription page for each of the transaction description, where thetransaction description page: a) includes the identification indicia,the price indicia, and the location indicia; and b) includes a messagesoft button that enables an email message to be sent to the first userat the unique email address associated with the transaction description;and c) does not include the first user information; storing at a storagedevice the received plurality of transaction descriptions, thetransaction description page generated for each transaction description,the unique email address for each transaction description and the userinformation; receiving at the server a request from a second user at aworkstation remote from the server, where the request is for at leastone of the plurality of transaction descriptions; displaying at leastone of the transaction description pages from the server to the seconduser at the work station, where the at least one displayed transactiondescription page corresponds to the requested transaction description;receiving an email transmission at the server, where: a) the emailtransmission is from the second user activating the message soft button;b) the email transmission is directed toward the unique email address;c) the email transmission is at least one of an acceptance of the offer,a counter-offer and a question regarding the transaction description;and d) the email transmission does not provide the identity of thesecond user to the recipient to the email transmission; receiving arequest at the server from the first user at a workstation remote fromthe server, where the request is to view the plurality of transactiondescriptions; generating at the server a listing page containing aplurality of transaction description hyper-text links and a plurality ofmessage hyper-text links, where: a) each of the plurality of transactiondescription hypertext links corresponds to one transaction descriptionpage for a transaction description; b) each of the plurality of messagehyper-text links corresponds to one unique email address; and c) each ofthe message hyper-text links is in the form of information regarding atleast one of the number of messages received at the unique email addressand the number of unread messages received at the unique email address;transmitting from the server the listing page to the first user at aworkstation remote from the server; receiving at the server a request toaccess at least one email transmission; transmitting an email page fromthe server to the first user, where the email page comprises: a) thetext of the email transmission; and b) a message soft button thatenables an email message to be sent to the second user at the uniqueemail address associated with the transaction description; and receivinga second email transmission at the server, where: a) the emailtransmission is from the first user activating the message soft button;b) the email transmission is directed toward the unique email address;c) the email transmission is at least one of an acknowledgement of theacceptance of the offer, an acceptance of the counter-offer and aquestion regarding the counter offer; and d) the email transmission doesnot provide the identity of the first user to the recipient to the emailtransmission.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of agood and a service comprises a real estate listing service.
 3. Themethod of claim 2, where the real estate listing service includes adesignated time frame for acceptance.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereinthe at least one of a good and a service comprises a real estate leasingservice.
 5. The method of claim 4, where the real estate leasing serviceincludes a designated time frame for a lease.
 6. The method of claim 4,where the real estate leasing service includes a designated time framefor acceptance.
 7. A computer readable medium containing code forcausing a processor to perform a purchase transaction over a network,the computer readable medium comprising: code for receiving at a serverfirst user information from a first user, where the first userinformation comprises the identity of the user; code for receiving atthe server a plurality of transaction descriptions, where: a) at leastone of the plurality of transaction descriptions is received from afirst user at a work station remote from the server; b) each of theplurality of transaction descriptions is an offer for sale of at leastone of a good and a service; c) each of the plurality of transactiondescriptions comprise identification indicia, price indicia and locationindicia; and d) each of the plurality of transaction descriptions isassociated with the first user and the first user information; code forgenerating at the server a unique email address for each of theplurality of transaction descriptions, where email transmissions sent tothe unique email address are accessible by the first user; code forgenerating at the server a transaction description page for each of thetransaction description, where the transaction description page: a)includes the identification indicia, the price indicia, and the locationindicia; and b) includes a message soft button that enables an emailmessage to be sent to the first user at the unique email addressassociated with the transaction description; and c) does not include thefirst user information; code for storing at a storage device thereceived plurality of transaction descriptions, the transactiondescription page generated for each transaction description, the uniqueemail address for each transaction description and the user information;code for receiving at the server a request from a second user at aworkstation remote from the server, where the request is for at leastone of the plurality of transaction descriptions; code for displaying atleast one of the transaction description pages from the server to thesecond user at the work station, where the at least one displayedtransaction description page corresponds to the requested transactiondescription; code for receiving an email transmission at the server,where: a) the email transmission is from the second user activating themessage soft button; b) the email transmission is directed toward theunique email address; c) the email transmission is at least one of anacceptance of the offer, a counter-offer and a question regarding thetransaction description; and d) the email transmission does not providethe identity of the second user to the recipient to the emailtransmission; code for receiving a request at the server from the firstuser at a workstation remote from the server, where the request is toview the plurality of transaction descriptions; code for generating atthe server a listing page containing a plurality of transactiondescription hyper-text links and a plurality of message hyper-textlinks, where: a) each of the plurality of transaction descriptionhypertext links corresponds to one transaction description page for atransaction description; b) each of the plurality of message hyper-textlinks corresponds to one unique email address; and c) each of themessage hyper-text links is in the form of information regarding atleast one of the number of messages received at the unique email addressand the number of unread messages received at the unique email address;code for transmitting from the server the listing page to the first userat a workstation remote from the server; code for receiving at theserver a request to access at least one email transmission; code fortransmitting an email page from the server to the first user, where theemail page comprises: a) the text of the email transmission; and b) amessage soft button that enables an email message to be sent to thesecond user at the unique email address associated with me transactiondescription; and code for receiving a second email transmission at theserver, where: a) the email transmission is from the first useractivating the message soft button; b) the email transmission isdirected toward the unique email address; c) the email transmission isat least one of an acknowledgement of the acceptance of the offer, anacceptance of the counter-offer and a question regarding the counteroffer; and d) the email transmission does not provide the identity ofthe first user to the recipient to the email transmission.
 8. Thecomputer medium of claim 7, wherein the at least one of a good and aservice comprises a real estate listing service.
 9. The computer mediumof claim 8, where the real estate listing service includes a designatedtime frame for acceptance.
 10. The computer medium of claim 7, whereinthe at least one of a good and a service comprises a real estate leasingservice.
 11. The computer medium of claim 10, where the real estateleasing service includes a designated time frame for a lease.
 12. Thecomputer medium of claim 10, where the real estate leasing serviceincludes a designated time frame for acceptance.
 13. A system forperforming a purchase transaction over a network, the system comprising:means for receiving at a server first user information from a firstuser, where the first user information comprises the identity of theuser; means for receiving at the server a plurality of transactiondescriptions, where: a) at least one of the plurality of transactiondescriptions is received from a first user at a work station remote fromthe server; b) each of the plurality of transaction descriptions is anoffer for sale of at least one of a good and a service; c) each of theplurality of transaction descriptions comprise identification indicia,price indicia and location indicia; and d) each of the plurality oftransaction descriptions is associated with the first user and the firstuser information; means for generating at the server a unique emailaddress for each of the plurality of transaction descriptions, whereemail transmissions sent to the unique email address are accessible bythe first user; means for generating at the server a transactiondescription page for each of the transaction description, where thetransaction description page: a) includes the identification indicia,the price indicia, and the location indicia; and b) includes a messagesoft button that enables an email message to be sent to the first userat the unique email address associated with the transaction description;and c) does not include the first user information; means for storing ata storage device the received plurality of transaction descriptions, thetransaction description page generated for each transaction description,the unique email address for each transaction description and the userinformation; means for receiving at the server a request from a seconduser at a workstation remote from the server, where the request is forat least one of the plurality of transaction descriptions; means fordisplaying at least one of the transaction description pages from theserver to the second user at the work station, where the at least onedisplayed transaction description page corresponds to the requestedtransaction description; means for receiving an email transmission atthe server, where: a) the email transmission is from the second useractivating the message soft button; b) the email transmission isdirected toward the unique email address; c) the email transmission isat least one of an acceptance of the offer, a counter-offer and aquestion regarding the transaction description; and d) the emailtransmission does not provide the identity of the second user to therecipient to the email transmission; means for receiving a request atthe server from the first user at a workstation remote from the server,where the request is to view the plurality of transaction descriptions;means for generating at the server a listing page containing a pluralityof transaction description hyper-text links and a plurality of messagehyper-text links, where: a) each of the plurality of transactiondescription hypertext links corresponds to one transaction descriptionpage for a transaction description; b) each of the plurality of messagehyper-text links corresponds to one unique email address; and c) each ofthe message hyper-text links is in the form of information regarding atleast one of the number of messages received at the unique email addressand the number of unread messages received at the unique email address;means for transmitting from the server the listing page to the firstuser at a workstation remote from the server; means for receiving at theserver a request to access at least one email transmission; means fortransmitting an email page from the server to the first user, where theemail page comprises: a) the text of the email transmission; and b) amessage soft button that enables an email message to be sent to thesecond user at the unique email address associated with the transactiondescription; and means for receiving a second email transmission at theserver, where: a) the email transmission is from the first useractivating the message soft button; b) the email transmission isdirected toward the unique email address; c) the email transmission isat least one of an acknowledgement of the acceptance of the offer, anacceptance of the counter-offer and a question regarding the counteroffer; and d) the email transmission does not provide the identity ofthe first user to the recipient to the email transmission.
 14. Thesystem of claim 13, wherein the at least one of a good and a servicecomprises a real estate listing service.
 15. The system of claim 13,where the real estate listing service includes a designated time framefor acceptance.
 16. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one ofa good and a service comprises a real estate leasing service.
 17. Thesystem of claim 16, where the real estate leasing service includes adesignated time frame for a lease.
 18. The system of claim 16, where thereal estate leasing service includes a designated time frame foracceptance.